La Comunidad Hispana announces organizational overhaul

AVONDALE — La Comunidad Hispana announced its Fortyforward initiative on Tuesday evening at a reception for community leaders, supporters and staff.

“Today we celebrate a number of major accomplishments as we also honor (La Comunidad Hispana’s) 40 years of service to the community,” said Aice Moorhead, chair of the board of directors of the organization.“The federal government has approved our increased patient care proposal.We are expected to expand our services, and we will.”

The Fortyforward initiative, which will include expansion of services and a $4 million fundraising campaign, will also restructure governance, programs, operational, finances, marketing and philanthropy for the organization.

La Comunidad Hispana hopes that, as a federally qualified health center, it will double its patient volume to 4,400 by 2014. The organization is also recognized as a level 2 patient-centered medical home, which recognizes the high quality of care and favorable patient outcomes.

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Specifically, the group offers healthcare, social services, and adult education affecting the health and well-being of Latinos, vulnerable individuals and families living and working in southern Chester County.

“There is a great need for our services, especially for the Latino community,” Moorhead said.“Latinos are half of Kennett Square’s population and more than 30 percent of the population of southern Chester County.Poverty is growing as 15 percent of county Latinos are below the poverty level.A third of Latino adults lack regular healthcare and 32 percent are uninsured.Also 77.3 percent of Latinos in the county are linguistically isolated, a significantly greater number than the nationwide rate of 19.6 percent.”

The organization’s health center cared for 2,289 persons last year, 86 percent of them without health insurance.They have also provided services for almost 5,000 individuals through its core services of healthcare, education, and social services.

“(La Comunidad Hispana) has been providing much needed services for decades,” said Moorhead. “We are looking forward to the contributions by our generous community.We are also looking forward to establishing a volunteer program to assist the fine service given by our staff members.”

The $4 million fundraising effort will be co-chaired by Moorhead and Elizabeth Moran.The goal is to raise the money in the next four years with $2.5 million going to program funding and $1.5 million to sustainable funds.

“We are strengthening the quality of life for the community as a whole,” said Margarita Queralt Mirkil, chief executive officer of La Comunidad Hispana.“We are a bilingual and bicultural organization that is sensitive to the needs of our population.Our nurse-managed healthcare creates a comfortable, familiar environment that encourages honest communication with our health providers.”

The reception on Tuesday night was also a celebration of the retiring of La Comunidad Hispana’s mortgage on their new facility at 731 West Cypress Street, Kennett Square.

The group’s mission is to empower immigrants and low-income residents of southern Chester County to stay healthy, build strong families, and lead productive and fulfilling lives.

The organization was established in 1973 as a community-based nonprofit organization, in an effort to empower immigrants and low-income residents in Chester County to stay healthy, build strong families, and lead productive and fulfilling lives.Present at the reception was one of the organization’s founders, Margarita Quiñones, who has worked at La Comunidad Hispana for about 40 years.

For more information, visit www.lacomunidadhispana.org, or call 610-444-7550, ext. 235.